Loop-taker transmission mechanism for turning stitching sewing machines



Dec. 18, 1945. HALE LOOP-TAKER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR TURNING STITCHING SEWING MACHINES Filed May 10, 1944 drama- I A. (Haze Dec. 18, 1945. a A. N. HALE 2,391,155 LOOP-TAKER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR TURNING STITCHING SEWING MACHINES Filed May 10, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 18, 1945. A. N. HALE LOOP-TAKER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR TURNING 'STITCHING SEWING MACHINES Flled May 10, 1944 4 Sheets-Shee t 3 A. N. HALE 2,391,155

LOOP-TAKER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR-QBURNING STITCHING SEWING MACHINES Filed May 10, 1944' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 18, 1945 FQR TURNING STITCHING GHINES SEWING MA- Arthur'N'. Hala' S tratford, Conn, assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth;

3., a carbonation of New Jersey Application May 10, 1944, Serial No. 534,886

reclaims. (01.112 66) The invention relate to turning stitching sewzine-machines, asof the W in which the needle, inadd'ition to, its other motions, is adaptedto be rotated and inwhicha rotary loop-taker and its support are, likewise bodily rotated to main-i tain the required relationship between the needle and the plane of rotation of the beakof thellooptaker, that is, to maintain the correct: directional approach of the beak to the needle loop in. all

rotative positions of the needle. v In a typical machine of this general -characiier, the w n-tak r r at n in a ve ti a pl ne, i mounted on, a/horizontal: drive shaft to "which is secured a hevelgear meshing with a secondrbevel gear driven through appropriate transmission from the main drive shaft, The horizontal leo takershaft is supported on a. suitable turret for Progre SiYe bodily rotation in a horizontal plane. suchrotation, unlesscompensatedior, causes the first; bevel gear to roll on the second bevel gear, t

thereby rotatingthe loop-taker shaft and changthe. setting or timing of the loop-taker in re; tionto the reciprocatory' stroke of the needle, all asis well-understood; y

Ihe primary object of the invention is an proved transmission of a character to compensate for or oil-set the aforesaidinduced rotation: of theloop-taker incident to the rotative movements oiits supporting turret. o I

;With the above and ctherobjects ,view,- as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the -devices combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodimerit of theinyention, from which film several inatnres of the invention and: the advantages at;- tained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the 7 ;In the accompanying draw s,,.Fig. fl is aircnt elevation, part-sectioned, of a machine embo fi ing the hereinafter described preferred; form of the invention, Figs t2 to 5 inclusive are enlarged part zsectionecl views taken'on the corresponding ly numbered section lines of Fig; 1;, Fig, 6 is an enlarged, sectional view of the planetary trans-,- mission vmeehenisIr- 'as seen in .1, and Fig. 7 is anaenlarged-sectional view on the line EVIL-VII of 4. I

The illustrateelimaehine embodying, a preterred form ofthe invention-is a irame having a 1, irorn one end of, winch a 1101 standard :2 of .a bracket-arm- 8 overhang-- the @bed I and terminating at .itsgiree end in ahead 4.,

Jourmrleclfor rotation-in suitable bearings pro vided in the .bracket arm, 3 is ,a :main or armshaft 5, carrying at one end, thereof a conventional needle-bar actuating crank 6. The crank 6 is suitably'connected by a link, I toa tubular needle-:bar 8., thereby to reciprocate the needlehar vertically in the head 4.. a

Aneye-poi ted. needle 19 is carried by the lower end of theneedle-bar 8 for vertical reciprocation therewith, as well as for lateral jog ing movements of the needle. The needle-supporting means of the present machine, is commercialli well known in eyelet-end buttonhele and eyeletting machine; said supporting :means being fully illustrated and describedin thelpri'or 13. S.

Patents Nos. 1,372,473., March 22,; L921, and Re. 15324, April 4; 1922, to which reference may be for a complete understanding of the details of construction of the oneedlessupporting means. As in the prior patented constructions, the needle 9 derives its lateral jo ging movements from; a rod, 10 j-ournaled for vertical reciprocation inthe head 4-. In the present maclune; however; the rod I0 is operatively connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 1| I, of which the other arm has a hall-joint connection with onezend of a horizontally disposed connectin-grod 12. The other end of the. connectin -rod I2 is similarly connectedto the forward end of a horizontally vibratory lever l3 pivotally secured upon the machine irame by a: fulcrum-stud M. Between its ends; the lever is is operatively' engaged vby a l.5 carried by a vertically disposed rotary haft 16 i-ournaledi in suitable hearing bosses proaided upon the machine frame. The cam-shaft 16' carries aspiral-gear H engaged by a pinion I8 secured upon the main or arm-shaft 5; the ratio of the pinion -,I-8 and spira'lagear 5|] bein suchthat the arm shaft fi rotates twice for each rotation of the cam-shaftzlfi. The details oi the transmission by. which the needle-supporting is progressively rotated form :nopart' of the ,presentlinwent-ioni and it will be snflioient to note thatvfor the purposes of illustration such transmission is shown as including :bevel gears 1s and zngthe latter-(mounted on the end of a shaft 24 which is driven through bevel seals 22;, 231mm- 8. vertical shaft 2 4. latter shait'zis driventhrouah bevel gears 25,126 by a shaft =21, which; afior convenience. is referred to herein as the s fin-by-stepturret-rotating shaft. 7 c

Mounted on; the m riner. arm shaft 5 is an eccentric 218', whichmay he of the construction sully illustrated and described-in thee-prior S; Patent No; 2,029,278, dated January .281, 11936, to which reference may :be ,hadfor full details. In the As will be balls 31, drives the outeror race memberand shaft 21. Clockwise movement of member 34, on the other hand, releases balls 31 and impartsno motion to the race member orto shaft 21. To

insure that shaft 21 remains stationary during such clockwise movements of member 34, a suitable ,brake may be provided, being indicated in the present instance as comprising an identical but reversely-mounted one-way drive clutch generally designated 38 (see Fig. 1).

Thus, rotation of the main or arm shaft 5 imparts the above-described reciprocating and lateral jogging movements to the needle and also a step-by-step rotary movement to the turret-rotating shaft 21. The latter, through shafts 24 and 2|, imparts its progressive, rotary motion both to the needle-supporting meansandalso, through the transmission to be described below, to appropriate loop-taker supporting means, for the purpose, as above stated, of maintaining the correct directional approach of the beak of the loop-taker to the needle loop in all rotative positions of the needle.

Complemental to the needle 9 in the formation 7 of lock stitches is a rotary loop-taker 39 of the horizontal-axis rotary hook type. The loop-taker 39 has its rotation axis disposed so that the needle-thread-loop seizing beak 40 ofthe looptaker rotates in a plane substantially parallel to purpose of bodily rotating the loop-taker and its shaft 4| in a horizontal plane. Depending from the center of the turret and journaled in the frame of the machine is a hollow shaft 45 to the l lower end of which is secured a bevel gear 46 meshing with a bevel gear 41 mounted on the adjacent end of the step-by-step turret-rotating shaft 21. By this means the turret is progressively rotated in time with the progressive rotation of the needle. I

Secured to the loop-taker shaft 4| is a bevel gear 48 meshing with a bevel or crowngear 49 mounted on the upper end of a shaft 50, which for convenience herein is referred to as the loop-'- taker drive shaft. For the purpose of, imparting two complete turns to the loop-taker for each stroke of the needle, gear 49 bears a two-to-one ratio to gear 48.

As is well understood, the loop-taker beak 40 must not only maintain its correct angle of approach to the needle (to which end the progressive movements of the needle and loop-taker turret are synchronized as above described) but must also be so rotated on its own axis in timed relation to the reciprocatory stroke of the needle as always to be in position to seize the needle-loop. However, the step-by-step rotation of the turret, unless compensated for, causes bevel gear to roll on gear 49 and thereby induces in' shaft '4 a rotary movement in addition to that imparted to it by the loop-taker drive shaft 50, thereby changing the timing of the loop-taking approach of beak in relation to the stroke of the needle.

According to the present invention, the abovementioned additional or induced rotary movement of the loop-taker shaft, incident to the progress'ive' rotation of the turret, is neutralized by the provision of special means for imparting an offsetting or compensating movement of like degreebut opposite sense to the loop-taker drive shaft itself. In general, and as described in more detail below with reference to the preferred form illustrated, such means comprises a planetary transmission incorporating a drivetrain, which includes a driver, a driven member and connections from the driven member to the loop-taker drive shaft. One member of the drive train is supported by what, in effect, constitutes a planetary cage member and means is provided for transmitting the motion of the shaft 21 to such cage member. Thus, the cage-supported member is caused to rollon its driver, and the supplemental motion thus induced may be applied to the loop-takerdrive shaft to impart to the loop-taker an equal, opposite and hence neutralizing rotative force to that induced by the rotation of the turret.

The preferred planetary transmission is illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 6 of the draw ings. The drive for this transmission includes a pulley 5| mounted on the arm shaft 5, belt 52 and a second pulley 53 mounted on a power shaft 54 which is journaled in the machine frame below the bed-plate The main driver of the planetary transmission comprises a slightly coned gear 55 secured to the power shaft 54. Meshing with the gear 55 is a like conical gear 56 secured to a shaft 51 mounted at an'acute angle to the axis of shaft 54 in a journal support 58. The journal support 58 is shown as a boss formed on the web of a gear 59 which is coaxial with the shaft 54; said gear 59 constituting the cage member of the planetary system and beingjournaled for free rotation. on the shaft 54 adjacent the conical gears 55, 56. The end of the shaft 5! remote from the gear 56, i. e. thele'ft-hand end of shaft 51 as viewed in Fig. 1, is provided with a universal or ball-driving head 60 carried-by and in driving engagement with a sleeve 6| secured to a shaft 62, which-through bevelgears 63, 64 rotatesthe loop-taker drive shaft 50. To the extent thus far described, and so long as gear.59 is stationary, it will be seen that the'planetary transmission operates merely to transmit the rotation of the main or arm shaft 5 to the loop-taker drive shaft 50. However, the rotation of shaft 51, and hence that of the loop-taker drive shaft, is modified by applying the step-by-step movement of shaft 21 to the cage member orgear 59, whereby conical gear 56 iscaused toroll on its meshing conical gear 55. There is'thus superimposedon shaft 51 (and hence the loop-taker drive shaft 50) a supplemental motion additionalto thati'mparted to it by the rotation of shaft 54 and, by appropriate gear selection, this supplemental motion is caused to be of such'a degree, and operates in suohdirection, as to neutralize the above-described induced rotation tending to be imparted to the loop-taker shaft 4| in response to the progressive rotation of turret 44. As shown,-a pinion 65 secured to the turret-rotating shaft Zlmesh'es with and transmits the progressive rotation? of shaft 21 directly to gear 59, i. e. to the cageinember of'the planetary transmission; 'Thus 'the rotary motion of th said driven shaft to the looptaker drive shaft. I

'7; Ina sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a loop-taker drive shaft geared thereto, a turret supporting the rotary loop-taker shaft, and a turret-rotating shaft operatively connected for rotating the turret, the combination therewith of a planetary transmission comprising a power shaft, a rotatable cage member, a driven shaft having a journal support in the cage member and mounted with its axis at an acute angle to the axis of the power shaft, drive means coupling said power and driven shafts, means for imparting a rotary motion to said cag in time with said turret-rotating shaft, and means for transmitting the rotary motion of the said driven shaft to the loop-taker shaft.

8. In a sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a loop-taker drive shaft geared thereto, a turret supporting said rotary loop-taker shaft, and a turret-rotating shaft operatively connected for rotating the turret, the combination therewith of a planetary gear transmission incorporating a gear train in cluding a rotary driver, a driven gear, connections from the driven gear to the said loop-taker drive shaft, a rotary cage member supporting one member of the gear train, said cage member comprising a toothed gear having its axis of rotation coincident with the rotation-axis of said rotary driver, and means for transmitting the motion of said turret-rotating shaft to said cage member.

9. In a sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a loop-taker drive shaft coupled thereto, a turret supporting said rotary loop-taker shaft and a turret-rotating shaft operatively connected for rotating the turret, the combination therewith of a planetary transmission comprising a drive train including a rotary driver, a driven member, connections from the driven member to the said loop-taker drive shaft, a rotary cage member comprising a toothed gear supporting one member of the drive train, said gear bein disposed coaxial with said rotary driver, and means for transmitting the motion of said turret-rotating shaft to said cage member.

10. In a sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a looptaker driv shaft geared thereto, a turret supporting the rotary loop-taker shaft, and a turret drive shaft, the combination therewith of a planetary transmission comprising a power shaft, a rotary cage member journaled coaxially of said power shaft, a driven shaft having a journal support in the cage member and mounted with its axis at an acute angle to the axis of the power shaft, meshing conical gears secured respectively to said power and driven shafts adjacent the cage member, means for imparting the motion of the turret drive shaft to the cage member, and means for transmitting the motion of the said driven shaft to. the loop-taker drive shaft.

11. In a sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a loop-taker driv shaft geared thereto, a turret supporting the rotary loop-taker shaft, and a turret drive shaft, the combination therewith of a planetary transmission comprising a power shaft, a rotatable cage member, a driven shaft having a journal support in the cage member and mounted with its axis at an acute angle to the axis of the power shaft, meshing conical gears secured respectively to said power and driven shafts adjacent the cage member, means for imparting the motion of the turret drive shaft to the cage member, and means for transmitting the motion of the said driven shaft to the loop-taker drive shaft.

12. In a sewing machine loop-taker mechanism having a rotary loop-taker shaft and a loop-taker drive shaft geared thereto, a turret supporting said rotary loop-taker, and a turret drive shaft, the combination therewith of a planetary gear transmission incorporating a gear train including a driver, a driven gear, connections from the driven gear to the said loop-taker drive shaft, a rotary cage member supporting one member of the gear train with the axis of such member at an angle-to the plane of rotation of the cage member, and means for transmitting the motion ofthe turret drive shaft to the cage member.

13. In a loop-taker mechanism for sewing machines, a turret journaled for rotation about a vertical axis, a horizontally disposed loop-taker shaft rotatably journaled in said turret, a vertically disposed loop-taker drive shaft rotatable relatively to said turret, gears connecting said looptaker drive shaft to said loop-taker shaft, a turret-rotating'shaft operatively connected for ro tating said turret, and loop-taker drive shaft rotating means comprising a rotary driver-gear, a rotary cage-member gear having its axis of rotation coincident with the rotation-axis of said driver-gear, a driven gear engaged by said drivergear and carried by said cage-membergear for rotation relatively thereto and for travel circumferentially of said driver-gear, connections with said driven gear for rotating said loop-taker drive shaft, and means for rotating said cage-member gear from said turret-rotating shaft.

14. .In a sewing machine, in combination, a vertically reciprocatory needle having laterally vibratory movements in an orbital path, means for actuating said needle, a horizontal-axis rotary loop-taker complemental to said needle in the formation of stitches, a turret journaled for rotation about a vertical axis, a horizontally disposed loop-taker shaft rotatably journaled in said turret for bodily movement of the loop-taker in an orbital path corresponding to the orbital path of the needle, a loop-taker drive shaft geared to said loop-taker shaft, a turret-rotating shaft ,opera tively connected for rotating said turret, and a planetary gear transmission for rotating said looptaker drive shaft, said transmission including a rotary driver-gear, a rotary cage-member gear havingits axis of rotation coincident with the rotation-axis of said driver-gear, a driven gear engaged bysaid driver-gear and carried by said cage-member gear for rotation relatively thereto and for travel circumferentially of said drivergear, connections with said driven gear for rotatmg said loop-taker drive shaft, and means for rotating said cage-member gear from said turret rotating shaft,

ARTHUR N. HALE. 

